Swing Life Away
by VesperChan
Summary: A sad paink haired girl and a lonely student of the copy cat ninja find peace in the most unlikely of places, with each other, on a swing. Fluff
1. Chapter 1

Sorry this came out late. I tried posting it yesterday (and the day before) and it would not work! But it's up now for all you lovely people to read and cough_review_cough. Yes Yamato Sakura. How often do you see that? Well I'm always one for crack (with Sakura) so I really wanted to do a fic with Sakura and Yamato cause you don't see that pair too often.

Okay one or two quick notes before I get down on my hands an knees and beg for reviews. This is not a one shot, I was planning on publishing this closer to Christmas since the next chapter involves Christmas and a X mass tree but I decided to put one or tw other chapter in between the first one and the Christmas tree.

That and I started a form…I think with info on a bunch of story ideas I have. Maybe one or two ideas that need to be adopted will be posted in the future but for now it's stories I have just started writing. So if you want to see that please go ahead. That and I'll put more info about this fic and it's updates on my profile page. Ideas welcome!

Please read and review and even flame if you want. I do not own the Naruto universe. Gosh how many times do I have to say it?

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**Swing Life Away**

**-**

We live on front porches and swing life away,  
We get by just fine here on minimum wage  
If love is a labor I'll slave till the end,  
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand

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_A _low rumble echoes over the darkly clouded skies of a late afternoon in the thriving village hidden in the leaves. The semi crowed streets full of villagers cried out softly at the low rumble and began to close down their outdoor vendors and people began running home, aiming to beat the promised rain. The clack sound of shutters being closed ran through the now empty streets.

In the midst of the slightly chaotic struggle one man stood rooting in the same spot he had occupied for the past twenty five minuets without moving. The sound of the thunder didn't startle him or urge him to move in any way. He just stood there, like a statue…or more like a tree.

"It's getting dark out…" He though quietly scanning the dark clouded skies over head. "I guess I should get going now."

Tenzo now newly named Yamato sighed running a hand through his short messy chocolate colored hair that slightly stuck up to one side as he stumbled through the streets of his home village.

His senpai Kakashi had stopped by to talk with him and offer some '_encouragement'_ before poofing off to read that mysterious book of his. The one he wouldn't let him read. The 'are you alright?' and the 'is there anything you want to talk about?' speech still fresh in his head.

A humbling experience in his option. Kakashi was his idol and to be asked if he was okay like he was a little child made him feel ashamed of himself. He was a highly skilled Shinobi not a whimpering child.

He sighed again stopping in his tracks. If Kakashi had made an effort to talk to him about it his depression must be really bad. He didn't want other people getting caught up in it but it was a hard thing to hide…and sadly a comforting thing he didn't want to hide. He liked being depressed in a way, not wanting to change and in another way hated it and wanted to change.

"What am I going to do with myself?" He asked aloud looking up at the clouded gray clouds in the sky that stared back at him with threatening arms of heave's tears. "Of course…." He murmured when the first drop of rain fell on his face under his eye. Soon that one drop or rain turned into a thundering downpour of salty sky tears.

He stood there for what felt like the longest time. Letting the rain wash away his worries. Somewhere in the back of his head he knew he would be sick with a nasty cold in the morning but he didn't care about tomorrow. All he cared about was the here and now where he was so comfortably numb.

He didn't have to worry abut how he messed up in his last mission or about how he was the youngest on his squad being dubbed 'the kid', he didn't have to worry about his apartment's rent that was due in a few days, he didn't have to care about anything.

"It's nice…to be like this…if only for a shot while." He mused taking a steep forward in the storm ignoring how people ran past him with umbrellas and various objects over their head as they tried to escape mother earth's tears. His sandals making a pair of muddy tracks in the dark murky mud as he trudged slowly deeper into his oh so dear home village.

A flash of red to his right caught his attention and he stopped to stare at the red moving object to his side.

His eyes widened when he saw that the red moving blur was in fact a small girl on a swing set swinging in the cold rain no matter how hard it was coming down.

His eyes narrowed trying to get a better look at the girl through the rain. She had shot cropped pink locks that danced back and forth around her face with each rise and fall her wooden swing took.

He couldn't see what color her eyes were from where he stood in the rain but if he had to guess he would say they were a bright apple green. Her small dress was red with small black sandals that complemented the flat black band in her head that didn't look as good as a big red bow.

He noticed a white circle printed on the back of her outfit telling him she was part of the Haruno family. Not a very powerful family but a wealthy one that had a reputation of traveling to other villages on business.

What was a fragile looking girl doing out in the middle of a rainstorm?

Deciding that he had nothing better to do Yamato headed over to the slightly shaded area where the girl sat on her high flying swing now toughly soaked with rain.

He was about to ask her what she was doing out in the rain when her voice stopped him from uttering a single syllable. She was singing…singing quite well too for a seven maybe eight year old. Her tune was low and haunting as she swung back and forth rising high into he sky before being pulled back to repeat the seemingly never ending process.

"_Am I loud and clear, or am I breaking up? Am I still your charm, or am I just bad luck? Are we getting closer, or are we just getting more lost? I'll show you mine if you show me yours first. Let's compare scars, I'll tell you whose is worse. Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words_." She sung peacefully in an enchantingly dark tone.

The brown haired leaf ANBU could instantly detect sadness in her voice and tone. She seemed so sad and numb to everything…just like him. That was until she began to sing again.

"_Swing life away. Swing life away. Swing life away. Oh just swing life away…."_ She moaned in her young child like voice as she soared higher swing her pain away.

She seemed to be casting a huge burden into the sky as she sung those words still unaware of his company. She seemed… happier. Why that was he didn't know. Her wet cherry colored hair swung limply as she pumped her legs to take her higher. He had to admit the pain hair made her really cute looking.

Her coughing caught his attention as her joyous ride began to slow due to the lack of leg pumping.

"Hey are you okay?" He asked rushing to her side and rubbing her back.

"H-hai I'm okay sir…" she replied back weakly with a small smile. Her eyes _were _a bright apple green just as he thought they were.

The worried chocolate haired man sighed not convinced with her small reply and decided to ask her his original question ignoring the sir part since he really wasn't that old. "What are you doing out here in the rain little girl?"

"I'm swinging!" Sakura huffed back, annoyed at being called a little girl. She was already seven years old, she so wasn't a little girl anymore. I'm my name is Sakura, not little girl."

"Okay Sakura, my name is Yamato, happy to meet you."

"Happy to meet you too-cough." Sakura tried to say before being cut off by another cough.

"You could get sick out here in the rain, you should be inside resting up."

Sakura pouted sadly and looked down at her shoes. "I don't want to go home, it's scary." she murmured quietly almost as if to herself. Here eyes turning downward in sadness. An emotion he was all too familiar with recently.

"But you shouldn't be out here in the rain, It's not healthy for a girl your age to be exposed to the cold like this." He comments studying her swing with his highly trained hawk like Shinobi eyes. "Why would you come to this swing anyway? Of all the places why did you come here?"

"Because…it's where I get away." She replied whispering the last part after the pause.

He quirked an eyebrow at her explanation in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Sakura looked at his sadly kicking her feet back and forth. "When I swing, I get away. Nothing else in the whole world matters except trying to touch the sky. Nothing else bothers me and I can't feel sad for anything bad that's happening to me. It's like it's not even there."

"What's not there?" He asked interested in what she could be talking about to become so sad.

Sakura turned her head from side to side with a slight bob to get the hair out of her frowning face. "The hole in here…" She said pointing to her chest where her heart would be. "It hurts when there is noting there to stop the pain."

Yamato's caring chocolate brown eyes softened when he recognized her symptoms that were so thickly surrounding him. She was like the small version of him. Sad and alone wishing only to be numb to the depressing pain. He remembered struggling with the useless feeling and not being able to find a reason for living. He could scarcely imagine what she was going through, such a small girl. Maybe apart they couldn't find a reason to smile but together…the could find it together.

Smiling, he picked up the girl who simply squeaked in protest and sat down on her swing setting her across his lap so that she faced him with one leg on each side so she wouldn't fall off.

She blushed slightly at how close his smiling face was to her own and ducked her head into his chest. A small rumbling greeted her ear as he voice rumbled with a less haunting yet still sorrowful song she found of so familiar.

"_I've been here so long, I think that it's time to move. The winter's so cold, summer's over too soon. Let's pack our bags and settle down where palm trees grow. I've got some friends, some that I hardly know But we've had some times, I wouldn't trade for the world. We chase these days down with talks of the places that we will go_."

Sakura smiled at his gentle soothing voice as her swing began to rock back and forward soothing her racing heart to a point where nothing matter. Comfortably numb drowning in this bliss.

She liked his voice, it made her want to fall asleep and rest peacefully for once. Like a lullaby. It was deep and yet airy at the same time. A beautiful combination compared to her deep protracted tone. He sounded really good to her.

Glancing up with a soft smile she looked at him with understanding eyes and began to join her voice with his own. Her haunting melody mixing with his smooth lullaby like melody.

"_We live on front porches and swing life away. We get by just fine here on minimum wage. If love is a labor I'll slave till the end, I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand. Oooo. We live on front porches and swing life away. We get by just fine here on minimum wage. If love is a labor I'll slave till the end, I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand_." They sang repeating the chorus once more not noticing how the rain began to let up or how Sakura's hands were holding his rough used ones.

Yamato looked down and smiled at the green eyed child in his lap as she rested her head against his toned chest in a sleepy manner.

"_And I'll Swing life away_." He whispered softly in his lulling voice bending down to reach her ear before her conscious completely drifted to the land of sleep and dreams.

The were comfortably numb in the own little bit of bliss on a simple swing set. Who would have known that such a simple thing could have such an impact on the lives of two people.

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Chapter two soon to come! NOT A ONESHOT!!! 

Please review and give me some ideas for more chapters! Themore ideas and reviews the onger this will be.

ja ne


	2. Chapter 2

Okay one or two quick notes before I get down on my hands an knees and beg for reviews. The first chapter takes place during the spring when it rains a lot. This chapter takes place in the summer when it's really hot and you REALLY need ice cream. The next chapter will be in the fall and then the last chapter will take place in the winter. So it will be a four shot.

That and I started a form with info on a bunch of story ideas I have. Maybe one or two ideas that need to be adopted will be posted in the future but for now it's stories I have just started writing. So if you want to see that please go ahead. That and I'll put more info about this fic and it's updates on my profile page. Ideas are welcome!

If you haven't seen already Softer than Scarlet is on hold for a time. I will never abandon any of my stories but this one is just so hard to write at the moment so I'm taking a break for a little while. I'll update it sooner or later but I just need to give myself a break every now and then.

Please read and review and even flame if you want. I do not own the Naruto universe. Gosh how many times do I have to say it?

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**Chapter Two**

It was where my mama sat on that old swing with her crochet

It was where grandaddy taught me how to cuss and how to pray

It was where we made our own ice cream those sultry summer nights

He watched the young girl's baby cute face scrunch upwards in frustration, accenting her adorable button nose he fondly 'stole' from time to time. A warm summer breeze blew past Sakura picking her chopped cherry colored locks and dancing them around her pouting face.

She huffed angrily and crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes slipping into deep thought. After all this was a very difficult decision to make for such a delicate six year old.

"So what do you think Sakura? Have you decided on an ice cream flavor yet or do you still need some more time to think?" Yamato asked with a bright smile and a cherry tone.

Sakura huffed again and opened her bright apple green orbs. "Do you know how difficult this is for me? Yammy chan? Do you see how many flavors they have here? There's like a zillion to choose from! How can you expect me to decide on one flavor in merely fifteen minuets?"

The tall brown eyed ANBU member had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep form laughing at the ridicules nick name the cherry haired child had dubbed him with. It was really too cute for him sometimes.

"I mean they expect you to just pick one flavor when they give you so many choices?"

"You could always have two scoops Sakura chan. It's okay with me since I make enough money being a single guy and all." Yamato replied patting her on the head flattening her dark colored ribbon.

"Yeah but I can't eat two scoops. I can only eat one. Mommy said sugar will rot your teeth and kill you in your sleep so she doesn't want me eating too much of it." Sakura replied with slouched shoulders a a dejected look on her pouty baby face. A few young woman passing by fainted on the sidewalk from the cuteness of her face.

Yamato sighed looked over at the two women before turning towards Sakura. Those were the sixth and seventh people that day that fainted from Sakura's overpowering cuteness. Sometimes it was just too much for him.

"Well what do you usually get when you go out to ice cream Sakura chan?" He asked while avoided looking at her face.

"Mom never takes me out to ice cream. I've only ever had it a handful of times when the teacher brings it into class. I told you mom is obsessed with the Sugar demon eating my teeth and killing me in my bed while I sleep."

Another women fell over when they heard this and saw Sakura's dejected face. If she kept this up there would be rumors of a plague going through the village. The cute Sakura fainting plague.

"S-so you don't know what to get because you never eat ice cream except when they bring it into class?" Sakura nodded her head in response.

"Yeah and I had a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of strawberry. I never tried anything other than that. Now what flavor looks more tasty, Rocky road or mint chocolate chip…?"

"I don't think your teeth will rot if you have an extra scoop of ice cream this one time Sakura chan."

"But then the chocolate chip cookie dough looks really good with it's real chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough and I do love chocolate chip cookie dough but then the fudge ripple has fudge in it and I love good fudge…"

"Sakura?" Yamato called waving a hand in front of Sakura as she continued to stare intently at the pink and yellow hand pained menu board in font of her listing the many flavors of ice cream she was debating over.

"Ohhh they have bubble gum and cotton flavored ice cream? I wonder if they really do taste like bubble gum and cotton candy or if the banana chunk and cherry lime taste better? I never hear of cherry lime ice cream, slushy yes, but not ice cream. I wonder if that is any good?"

Yamato chuckled as she continued to ramble on about the many flavors of ice cream she could choose from. Closing his eyes and folding his hands behind his head he leaned back into the park bench across the ice cream shop Sakura was currently fascinated with.

He cracked open and eye to cheek on Sakura and make sure she didn't run off after a puppy or a dragonfly again. He was beginning to wonder if she was a bit ADD with how easily she was distracted by the smallest thing. He didn't want another heart attack when he opened his eyes and found her gone.

"And then they have Snickers and Recess and even Butterfingers flavored ice cream. Oh ohm and M&M's too! How do they put candy bars into the ice cream I wonder? And what one tastes the best. I really like chocolate and they all have that…"

Yamato opened his eyes an stared at Sakura once her silence surrounded him. "Hmm Sakura chan, have you decided on an ice cream flavor yet?" He asked leaning forward in his seat.

"Hai, I now what I want now." Sakura chirped placing her small hands on his knee and jumping a bit in happiness.

"Aright what flavor is it?"

"Sakura chan wants whatever flavor Yammy chan is getting!' Sakura giggled speaking in third person making another two woman that happened to be passing by fall over from the curtness overload.

Ignoring the two now unconscious women Yamato smiled with a small blush at the attention and nickname Sakura gave him. "Alright if you want coffee than you and I can both have a scoop." He replied not seeing the foolishness in his words.

"Yay, we're getting ice cream now!" Sakura cried jumping up and down making her shoulder length hair bounce around her face. ---

"Maybe coffee flavored ice cream wasn't the smartest thing to give her." The ANBU level ninja though as he watched little Sakura run around in tight circles giggling like a maniac at the top of her lungs.

"Mwahahah look at all the pretty birdies hahaha!" Sakura cried falling backwards onto her but before her head tipped backwards bringing the rest of her body to meet the ground.

"Sugar rush must be over." Yamato mused walking over to where Sakura lay and sitting down with his legs crossed Indian style. "You done yet?"

"I think so…" Sakura panted turning her head to her side so that the older brown haired man cam into view Hey Yammy…I think I know the real reason my mom doesn't want me to eat ice cream, she could never have handled me with this much energy."

"That's possible." Yamato replied with a smiled laying back down next t the rose haired child.

"Did your mom ever let you have ice cream when you were a child?" Sakura asked letting her small chest rise up and down as she gasped in every small tiny breath needed for her smaller lungs.

"No, My mom died when I was really little. I grew up with my dad and he was away on missions most of the time so I spent almost all my time with my grandma and grandpa. And they're grandparents so they showered me in sweets of goody goodness."

"You mom died? How?" Sakura asked rolling over and onto Yamato's chest and lap.

"She was a Kunoichi. She died on a mission with my father. My dad was really beat up and almost didn't make it himself. But after that mission he changed. I don't think he wanted to keep living. When I turned twelve my grandparents told me he had killed himself."

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Sakura replied with downcast eyes. "I never had a daddy. My mommy said he left before I was born. I don't think he died but mommy won't tell me anything else and I don't want to make her cry so I don't ask her about it."

Yamato reached up and pat Sakura gently on the head and smiled softy. "I can't see any sane man wanting to leave this little angel behind. He must have just gotten lost on his way home and is probably still out there searching for you and your mom."

"Really? You think so?" Sakura cried with bright apple green eyes widening in happiness. "Do you think my dad could really be out there after all these years?"

"Anything's possible."

Sakura smiled and let her chin rest on his hard chest with a smile. "Yammy chan you always make me happy whenever we spend time together. I wish you were my daddy sometimes."

Yamato blushed a little bit and looked down with a chuckle. Somehow daddy seemed…degrading to him. Like he wanted to be something more than a parent.

"Sometimes I wish I were your daddy too Sakura chan." Yamato replied pushing his clouded thoughts to the back of his mind and nuzzled noses with Sakura. "But we can still hang out like this you know."

"Yup! We can stay like this forever and ever and ever. We never have to change!" Sakura chirped hugging her fatherly figure around the neck.

"Yeah forever and ever." he repeated in a tone a decibel lower then normal.

He looked down at Sakura and saw an adorable seven year old girl that loved to eat ice cream and hang out with him on sunny afternoons, but he knew she wouldn't always be like that. Soon she would grow up and possible become a ninja for the fire country. (Though he hoped she wouldn't and constantly told her of all the downsides.) She would become a teenager and then an adult and no longer have time for him like she had now. And even if she did, he would grow older and possible more busy.

They would both change and he knew that forever wouldn't never last forever.

"Ah look Yammy chan there's a sprinkler outside that store!" Sakura chirped scrambling off his chest and skipping over to the sprinkler to play in it with a few of the other village kids.

Yamato watched one of the boys her age give her a bright toothy smile and splash her with a laugh as she splashed him back with a smile of her own.

He frowned.

Sakura would grow up in more ways than one and soon he wouldn't be the only male in her life. The wood wielding male clutched the fabric of his shirt where his heart would be and winced. Why did that thought hurt so much?

"Yammy chan play with me!" Sakura called with wet locks the color of cherry blossoms sticking to her face in a cute manner as she called out to him.

Yamato smiled and got up off the grass. "Coming Sakura chan."

He knew it wouldn't last forever but he would enjoy it as long as it lasted.

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I'm done. 


	3. Chapter 3

AN:/ And this is where I beg. 

Um yeah this is the third chapter and then there is one more until I finish this. I'm thinking about ding a shot fifth chapter when the meet up again once they are grown and put on the same team. I think I might just do that to tie up all the loose ends and give it a better ending you can understand.

And if you think Sakura Yamato is creepy just think how much older Kakashi is and he still ends up with Sakura, true love has no age when it comes to Sakura.

Disclaimer:/Vesper chan dose not own anything to do with Naruto, not even Yammy chan's nick name. So sad.

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**Chapter Three**

_The leaves will fall  
And so will you  
When you do, bury me under them too  
Seconds pass; we'll make it through  
Eventually we all go home  
It won't be long  
It won't be long_

She was silent and smooth as she pivoted behind and other tree and quickly grabbed the lowest branch and using it to hoist her small child sized body up higher into the tree as she reached for another branch and another and yet another.

A chilly Autumn wind blew right through her making her shudder and pull her scarf tighter around her neck hoping to fend off most of the cold. Her cropped pastel pink tresses flapped in the wind blocking her line of vision for a moment before she pulled her green and brown stripped beanie down further over her ears and huff her bangs out of her eyes.

Her tiny hangs gripped tightly against the rough bark as she lifted her legs up above her head and swung her body upward. By now she was up pretty high and was in danger of hurting herself if she fell.

Scratch that.

If she fell on something _hard_.

"SHANNARO!" She screamed leaping off the branch she was standing on and falling feet first into a rather large pile of multi colored leaves residing at the base of her tree.

There was a loud 'whosh' as she landed in the middle of the neatly raked pile sending leaves of honey gold and scarlet red high into the hair before the floated back downward, a few landing in her hair and on top of her head.

"Sakura chan, I jus raked those." Yamato whined trying to hold back a grin as her present appearances he leaned against his rake's pole handle.

Sakura blew a few leaves out of her face and stumbled to her feet. "Yeah…pfff…I know. That's why…pfff… I had to…pff do it…pff." Sakura replied stumbling every time she went to blow a leave out of her face or cherry pink colored hair.

Yamato chuckled rolling his eyes at the sight before him. Her scarf and hat were both fuzzy the way Sakura liked them to be so the leaves clung to them like Velcro much to the small girl's annoyance. And instead of picking or pulling them off like a normal person would Sakura had to blow them off. Something that would kill her if she kept it up much longer, he could already see her turning a bit blue in the face.

"Come here and let me help you with that."

Sakura nodded obediently and skipped over to her older friend and allowed him to pry a few of the crimson and honey gold leaves off her cloths.

"You really had to wear this scarf and hat? They're like magnets for twigs and leaves like this."

"But the match!" Sakura whined in slight annoyance as he pulled a small twig out of her tangled hair.

The chocolate haired man tsked at the articles he was pulling out and removing. "You know Sakura chan you could really get hurt jumping into a pile of leaves like that from so high up. Look at all these twigs I found in your hair. What if there was something really sharp or dangerous in there that you fell on?"

"I'd die?" Sakura chirped happily.

Yamato gave her a stern look and Sakura giggled sheepishly.

"That's not funny Sakura chan. You could have been really hurt and if you did die then…" His hands stopped moving and his body felt a bit colder than it had a second ago and it wasn't because of the chilly autumn breeze floating through the air. "….Then I don't know what I'd do."

"You could go out for Ice cream, that always makes me feel better." Sakura offered with a bright smile obviously oblivious of the seriousness of what Yamato just suggested.

Yamato strained a smile at her innocent naivety. Of course she didn't understand the weight of what he suggested. "Yeah Sakura chan, maybe I could go for ice cream but it's way too cold out for that now."

"It's never too cold for ice cream." Sakura replied back with a serious face as if she were discussing brain surgery or rocket science. "I thought you knew better Yammy chan."

Yamato threw his head back and laughed deeply. No matter what kind of mood he was in if Sakura was around the world around him always seemed a bit brighter in his eyes.

"I'll help you put the leaves back and then we can go out for Ramen like you said right?" Sakura asked hope shining in her bright emerald orbs.

"Only if we get all the leaves back."

"All of them?"

"Yes all of them."

Sakura groaned and held her head pitifully. "We're going to be here all day!"

Yamato rolled his eyes with a light smile as he watched her fall back onto the ground and moan in self pity at the load of work she had to accomplish I order to fill her sorrowfully empty stomach.

The chocolate haired man rolled his eyes and began to rake up the spilled leaves once again when a tired mouse like voice made him look back at Sakura who was still laying down on the ground staring up at the clouds.

"Yammy chan, you're always really busy right? What do you do all the time that keeps you away?" Sakura asked watching the fluffy white balls roll lazily though the heavens above her.

"I'm an ANBU Sakura chan. I go on missions all the time with my sensei Kakashi, the great cop cat ninja." Yamato replied with a hint of pride in his words as he explained his occupation to the young girl.

Sakura sighed lightly I acknowledgement as she straightened out her wrinkled black long sleeve shirt with cuts along the arms. It didn't normally get very cold in the hidden leaf village during this time of year so Sakura didn't really own any heavy jackets or clothing designed to fend off the cold.

She shivered once again as the wind blew against her arms making her body tremble in the cold. It was so weird for them to be having this cold weather so early on. It normally didn't get this cold until winter.

She smiled sweetly to herself at the thought of winter. If this kept up then maybe they would have snow for Christmas. It was rare but not unheard of for it to snow in the hidden leaf village on certain colder years.

"Hey Yammy chan." Sakura called while rolling over and scrambling to her feet.

"What is it Sakura chan?" Yamato asked still raking away the sunset colored leaves that lay scatter along the ground.

"What if you don't come back after you leave on one of your missions?"

Yamato stopped his raking and turned to face Sakura who had a serious look on her face at the moment meaning she wasn't joking and wasn't completely naive about what she was saying. "What do you mean what happens if I don't come back after leaving on one of my missions Sakura chan?"

"What if you don't come back? What is going to happen to me, what will I do without you to treat me to ice cream and take me swimming and raking leaves?" Sakura asked a little sadly, her bright emerald green eyes a shade lighter than they normally would be. Yamato noticed this happened whenever she was thinking really hard over something, Sakura was a smart girl for her age and this happened a lot.

"I'll come back, I always do don't I? There's no way I couldn't come back knowing you are here waiting for me." Yamato answered lightly with a smile. "Why are you asking me this?

"Sometimes when you're away you go for a long time and I don't see you for a lengthy time. Sometimes I think you're not coming back…just like my father never came back."

Yamato dropped his rake and knelt down at Sakura's side resting a hand on either arm and looked her directly in the eye. "Hey Sakura I promise you I'll always come back, I won't run off or forget about you. I'm not that kind of person."

Yamato knew all about Sakura's dad, Mr. Haruno from the ninja files only accusable for someone of his level. The light silver haired young man had a short temper and was always very rash, though he was quite a handsome devil when it came to looks. He would have to have them in order to secure Mrs. Haruno who was equally beautiful. They two were married and were happy for a time.

Her father stated that he was happy with his life and the way things were at the time and didn't want them changing. Having a baby was a big change to him and the chocolate haired ANBU guess he didn't like it. Reports from the neighbors stated that there was a lot of screaming and yelling during the pregnancy. It only got worse when he found out it was a girl. Three months before the birth he left to get some food or something like that and never returned marking himself as a missing nin.

Yamato couldn't believe someone would want so badly to get away from something as precious as the pink haired child in front of him.

"What if you die?" Sakura asked looking down at her brown and green stripped scarf that was currently entangled in her fumbling fingers that were shaking slightly from the cold.

"Death isn't going to get me. I'm on the team of some of the finest Shinobi and Kunoichi in this village and I'm really safe I promise I'll come back ever time." He stated confidently.

"…You promise?" Sakura asked lifting her eyes hopefully.

"Pinky promise. You know I can't break those right Sakura chan." Yamato answered holding out his large hand with his pinky sticking up waiting to entwine with her own in the sealing of a promise.

"…Okay Yammy chan. Come back safe please." Sakura chirped wrapping her own much smaller pink around his large one with a bright smile that made his heart beat a bit faster in happiness.

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Sakura whined jumping up and down in the waiting room scowling at the nurses that were too busy to let her and her mother through. They were all little devils in white in her mind at the moment as her mother conversed with the secretary behind the desk.

"Room one 'O five, straight down the hall take your first right and your last left. Can't really miss it." She heard the woman with mustard yellow hair tell her mother who seemed half hearted about the whole thing. But her mother looked tired like that all the time for as long as Sakura could remember.

"Thank you very much." Sakura's mom replied with a weak smile accenting her fiery red hair that was loosing it's fire and her dazzling almond saffron eyes that were now a dull hazel.

Before either of the two older woman could do anything Sakura dashed past her mother's legs and quickly trotted down the hall trying to walk but walk as fast as humanly possible.

"Sakura chan, honey wait. You can't run in a hospital." her mother called keeping her voice down as she too quickly trotted after her young daughter who had just a few problems when it came to waiting for more than ten seconds.

"He's down here, I need to see him." Sakura called back trying to keep her voice down as she took the right and making her way down and approaching the last left.

"Sakura just wait for me, he's not going anywhere for a while." Her mother called struggling to keep up with her young daughter that couldn't see anyone in the hospital without a adult. If she could she would have camped outside the front entrance until visitor hours began.

"I have to see Yammy chan for myself. He said he would always come back, he pink swore too." Sakura replied with a huff making Sakura's mom stop in her tracks and stare in shock.

'_Always come back._' Somehow those words made her feel a little sick. She decided it was best if she just waited outside while her daughter went in to see the injured ANBU.

Sakura skidded to a halt outside the large plain white door with the number 105 in the middle pushed a little towards the top. This was it, this was the door she was looking for. Gathering up her courage she lifted her small child sized hands and pulled the sliding door back enough for her to enter.

Poking her pink haired head into the tiny hospital room Sakura scanned it. The beautiful bright green orbs slid back and forth taking in the scene before her taking note of the large double sized bed with a tall twenty year old ANBU squad member resting in it.

She saw that his eyes were closed so she tip toed over to his side and gently brushed her hand up ageist the side of his face causing the mussels in her cheek to twitch and his chocolate brown eyes to open.

"Yammy chan…?" Sakura breathed gasping slightly seeing his heavy eye lids rise.

The ANBU member smiled weakly and held up his hand, pink upturned. "I always keep my promises Sakura chan. I came back."

"I'm glad…"

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(Hands you a...cupcake for reading the whole chapter) You thought it was a cookie didn't you? Well I ran out of those... 

There the end of this chapter. Next chapter is going to be winter. Yay for winter, it's my favorite season. New years, Christmas (no offence if you don't celebrate it) and my birthday. I think my muse will be highest for that chapter.

I started a form with info on a bunch of story ideas I have. Maybe one or two ideas that need to be adopted will be posted in the future but for now it's stories I have just started writing. So if you want to see that please go ahead.

**Please review!**

ja ne you lovely people


	4. Chapter 4

Well it's about time this got updates don't you think? This is the last season part of the story. After Christmas or some time after I will put up the last chapter with them meeting up several years later. (when he becomes the captain of their team. Until than, you must be content with my other stories being updated. Yes, I am so terrible.

And I bet those who are waiting for the next chapter didn't enjoy waiting so long either. Sorry about that. I think after this I'll be updating more and more on my other stories aside from Like Moths to the Light.( My muse is tired on that one) I'm getting used to school and homework and stuff like that so hopefully updating will be a lot easier for me.( Yeah right --) Have fun. AND REVIEW!

Now, I don't know why but there are some people out there that don't know I do not own Naruto or any of it's profits so this little disclaimer is here for you all.

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_Chapter Three_

_Winter _

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The winter left her blanket here this morning

A soft and gentle coverlet of white

Unfolded in the shadows of the dawn

It Sparked in the early morning light

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Snow was falling. The elegantly frozen tears of heaven descended almost lazily downward to join their brothers in the task of wrapping the land in a beauty that could only be accomplished by the effort of a great many. The carefully laced works of art landed peacefully without a sound. The air was clear and beautiful to breath in. The land was wrapped in a pure white blanket of shimmering tranquility. It was such a pure thing to breath in.

Yamato smiled closing his eyes and inhaling deeply in love with the smell of cold pine that seemed to drown out his surroundings.

Yes, everything was peaceful.

"Stand and fall Yammy chan!" the high pitched squeal of an overly excited Sakura pierced the peaceful atmosphere making Yamato gasp and look up in time to see a perfectly shaped snowball heading his way.

"What the-" were the only two words before the perfectly shaped pile of compacted snow landed dead smack in the middle of his face making him stumble backwards a bit.

"Ha! Right in the kisser! It was a dead shot, all the way! Bo yah! SHANNARO BABY!" Sakura screamed pumping her fist into the air and jumping around wildly as she took joy in her victory.

Yamato sat up and frowned wiping away the snow that stuck to his face with one hand while keeping the other behind his back. "Sakura chan…did you forget why we are really here or do you just not care?" he asked sternly making the small girl freeze up and adapt a worried expression.

"Ya-yammy chan?" Sakura stuttered a bit frightened that the chestnut haired man would not like her anymore.

"This is unacceptable and so…" Yamato stood up and looked down at Sakura before his frown broke into a brilliant smile. "You must face judgment!" he cried chucking another snowball at the small child. Sakura gasped as the snowball clipped the side of her face, before she broke into squeals of laughter trying to take cover from the oncoming impalement of shaped snow aimed for her small body.

"No fair Sakura chan, you're so smaller and you can hide." Yamato cried trying to hold his laughter back as the pink haired girl burrowed under a high bank of snow and tried to hide herself from his eyes.

"Yes fair, because you have better aim!" Came her muffled reply.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you with your head buried in the snow."

Sakura huffed climbing out of the snow drift she had been hiding in. "I said-mph!" Sakura began to say when another snowball impaled it's self in her small but shocked face.

"Ha, I just said that to get you to come out. Sorry Sakura chan…"

Sakura scowled, with what appeared to be a snow beard dripping off the bottom of her chin. "Moi…Yammy chan didn't we come over to your house to decorate a Christmas tree for Christmas? Not to play a snowball war."

"Hai, hai, hai Sakura chan. My apologies. Do you want to look for a Christmas tree now, or would you rather sit in the snow and get your pretty new snow outfit all wet?"

"Ahhh, my dress!" Sakura exclaimed in concern, jumping up and hoping up and down trying to brush the flakes of snow staining her red and white outfit, away. "It's going to get wet!"

"No worries, you got it off in time. Besides it's still too cold out here to melt and turn into water. Come on Sakura chan, I want to show you where we're going to put the tree."

Sakura looked up at the hands extended towards her and smiled brightly with a wide smile that always had an effect on the older youth's heart strings. "Hai, Yammy chan! I want to see the tree and put lights on it!" she cried out in joy, jumping forward, past his hand and into his arms.

"Sa-Sakura chan? You're going to make me…" Yamato cried out pitching backwards. "…Fall."

Sakura giggled contently sitting on his chest with her little pink tongue stick out in a silly mocking way. "Nahhhh, That's payback for chucking a snowball at me when I wasn't ready, Yammy chan. Now you're going to be the one who gets all wet in the snow."

Yamato blushed at his foolishness and chuckled looking up at the pink haired child above him with a soft smile resting on his frost kissed lips. "Moi Sakura chan, you have to be so mean to me like this? What about that hot chocolate I promised you?"

"With marshmallows! You said with marshmallows!" she whined pouting in a sinfully cut manner only she could.

"Of course," he laughed. "How could you possible have hot chocolate without marshmallows? That goes without saying."

Sakura nodded with a bright smile before scrambling off the floored ANBU member and heading towards the area Yamto had pointed out earlier that day. The place where they would find and decorate the Christmas. The dark chestnut haired youth smiled to himself knowing there would be nothing there when Sakura sped into the designated field. Of course, that was part of the surprise after all. True to his suspicions he head they quick but piercing yelp of a flustered pink haired child as she stumbled upon the empty open area in front of their log cabin in one of the higher point of the Fire Country.

"Yammy chan! Someone stole my Christmas tree!" she screamed running back to him with wide eye full of disappointment and fear. What was Christmas without a Christmas tree after all? 'It's gone! There's nothing there to decorate!"

"Really are you sure about that?"

Sakura blinked in a stunned expression at first before taking three actions in succession. First she turned on her heel and ran back to the clearing. Second, she screamed and ran back with wide eyes. And lastly she screamed some more jumping up and down while waving her arms wildly in a panicked state. "It's gone! It's not there! Someone stole it! It's stolen! There's no tree! WAAA! MY TREE! I wanted to decorate my pretty tree with balls and lights and a big pretty star at the top!"

Yamato chuckled softly taking Sakura by the hands and pulling her onto his lap, not minding that he rear end was getting wet from sitting in the snow for so long. Her warmth made up for that a thousand times over. It always had and it always would. Her warmth was something the young youth couldn't imagine living without now that he had it. Sort of like a drug. "Shhh, Sakura don't cry. No one took our tree. It's just not here yet. It's… sort of a surprise. Come on, dry those tears and I'll show you what I mean…"

Sakura looked up at him with slightly wetted eyes and sniffed in a cute manner that made him laugh and squeal on the inside. "H-huh?"

"The tree still needs to grow a bit more for us. It's there, underneath the snow. We just need to help it grow."

Sakura sniffed back a few tears a Yamato brought her into the clearing. "B-But….but Yammy chan…it…. It t-takes treas years….sniff to grow. We won't be able to…d-decorate it."

"You silly. Don't you think I know that. But out Christmas tree is different. I'll show you."

Setting the small girl down he pulled a bright yellow star out of his jonin vest and handed it to her. Slapping both palms together he muttered something under his breath and let his hands move through a number of seals burning into his memory, letting his cool blue chakra flow throughout his body before slamming it into the ground Shouting 'Earth release wood style'. Sakura gasped as the ground under hr cracked open and a evergreen began to stem out of the eart growing up right before her eyes in a manner of seconds. A few of the large, thick roots were above ground and one of them slipped behind her knees and lifted her up off the ground like a chair.

She laughed gleefully. "Yammy chan! Look at me! I'm in the air!" she called, excited by the current events.

The dark eyed ANBU member chuckled to himself smiling brightly. Her laugh was worth anything to him, it was the very essence of light in his eyes. There was nothing more pure. Looking at her there sitting on one of the lifted roots with a Christmas star in her hands dressed the way she was it was hard not to blush madly and scream KAWAII and run to hug her in a bear tight hug that never allowed him to let her go. Her bright red skirt was lifted up to here knees letting the white fur trip just barely keep her completely warm. Her shrug shifted slightly when she coxed her head to the side with a bright smile. Her lopsided Santa hat falling in that direction.

"Nee Yamato chan,"

"Uh h-hai Sakura chan?"

"I'm going to put the star on the tree now. Can we go in and have some coco next and finish decorating later? I'm getting kind of cold out here,"

"Hai Sakura chan. That sounds like a plan," he called back with a laugh.

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Flames or orange and red danced away the darkness with it's yellow tipped flames, as the logs fueling it crackled and fell deeper into the red brick fireplace of the log cabin up in the mountains. Aside for the occasional pop in the dimly lit living room, silence dominated the small but cozy space.

Sakura yawned softly, snuggling closer into the father like figure she was laying against, while cuddled up before the burning fire. Her eyes were closed to being closed as sleep fought to take over. Blinking in a sleepy way, she pulled the blue and white colored quilt around her body tighter.

Yamato noticed the action and lifted Sakura onto his lap and closed the small opening of the quilt that was once in front of him. He smiled resting his chin on the top of her head. There were rarely any times he felt this way. He almost never was this happy.

"Yammp chan…?"

"Hmmm? Sakura chan, you're still awake," he exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

"We didn't finish decorating the…yawn…the Christmas tree."

"That's okay, we can do it tomorrow."

"But tomorrow is…"

"Christmas, I know. That's okay with me." Sakura nodded sleepily and let her head fall against his chest, rising and falling with his heartbeat. Her lips quirked upwards slightly as she tried to smile. "Ne…Yammy chan… if you could have anything you want for Christmas what would it be?"

"Anything?" Sakura nodded slowly and gently, not really having the energy to do much more. "Yeah, anything in the entire world. What woud you want for Christmas Yammy chan? I want to know."

Yamato smiled with a faint blush lining his warmed cheeks as he felt her head move against his chest. She was so small and innocent and delicate and fiery and cute and….just perfect. How could he wish for anything more than this? Than to just sit next to her on a quiet evening, enjoying each other's company like they were now. "I don't really now what to say to that. There isn't anything I really want that I can describe right now, for you. What about you Sakura chan? Is there a toy you want? Maybe a new ribbon or a dress you saw at the store? Tell me what you want for Christmas," he said.

Sakura's lips pulled upwards once more as that magical smile of hers outshone the fire with it's radiance. How could he ask for anything more than this? "I know what I want, but it's not any of those thing. I don't want something you can feel but rather something you can experience,"

"Experience?"

She nodded. "What I want for Christmas…I want this moment right now to last forever. I know it won't happen but I'm so warm and happy inside, sitting here, wrapped up in a blanket with you. I don't want this feeling to ever leave me. I want to be with you always Yammy chan."

Yamato's eyes widened as the young girl in his arms voiced his exact thoughts. His hands trembled slightly as he pulled her closer and buried his face in her tousled pink locks. Something in his chest was racing wildly and he knew was his heart. And it was racing for her. Taking in her dark cinnamon and cherry blossom scent he let her dominate every part of him.

He had given up on fighting this part of himself. He knew at first logic was against it, but the heart never sided with logic. The hear moved on it's own. Yamato knew he was in love with Sakura Haruno. It's not like there was some _huge_ age gap between them separating them by many years…only a few. He was in his late teens, making him not that much older than the girl in his arms. If he waited a few years it could work. He knew relationships that were separated by more than twenty years and still excepted. All he would have to do is wait a little longer.

"Hey Sakura chan…"

"Nee?"

"I think I know what I want for Christmas."

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you, it's a surprise," he softly chuckled. Sakura pouted and glared at him.

"Moi, you're mean."

"Goodnight Sakura chan, sleep tight."

"Night Yammy chan, see you in the morning…"

"Yeah…see you in the morning. '_Sakura chan I love you…'_

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"I don't understand…"

"There is nothing to not understand."

"But this is… it's…"

"It is a mission."

"But for three years!"

"When you joined the ranks of ANBU you excepted this village as your top priority. You have no choice in this mater. When you get back after three years, you may resign for ANBU status if you like. But until then I suggest you get packing. Three years is a long time to be away."

"Can't I say goodbye to some people?"

"Out of the question. No one must know you're leaving. The ANBU must function in that way. Telling someone outside the ranks of ANBU of departure on a S ranked mission are strongly prohibited. Now Tenzo san, you had better get your stuff ready. Departure is on twenty minuets."

Yamato looked down at his hand where a scroll was held tightly. His scowl was menacing and if anyone had the misfortune of seeing it they would have turned and fled as far away as possible.

"How could they…?"

His fist met the wall cracking it a bit. He was really ticked off with everything. Anger radiated off him in waves of red. Then another thought entered his mind.

"Sakura chan…" His anger melted to sadness. "Sakura chan….forgive me."

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One more chapter to go.

Rejoice!

ja ne


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**:/ Yo, I do not own the anime/manga/videogame/cosplay rage/ know as Naruto. I do not own Frou Frou or it's song, It's good to be in love.

**AN**:/This is the last chapter. Please, review! That is all I ask of you!

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Chapter Four

Love

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It's good to be in love

It really does suit you

Just like everything

I'm happy you're in love

'Cause every color goes where you do

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He didn't blink when the Hokage reassigned him his old codename. He didn't twitch when he was told he would be captaining a tea, formally under the control of the famous copy cat ninja. He didn't flinch when the woman told him there would be the standard one girl two boys, one being the fox container. But he just about had a spasm when he learned that she was on the team.

Of all the girls in leaf, it just had to be her.

The man once named Tenzo, now Yamato, shivered at the thought of seeing her again after all these years. Reaching a hand up, he dragged it through his messy bark colored hair and let out a long sigh, trying to breath away as much stress as possible.

How much had she grown? Would she remember him? Would she still hate him? If she did, he wouldn't blame her or hold her against it. She probably forgot all about him and her adventures with him as a child. He wouldn't blame her for that either. It was probably better if she didn't remember him leaving her on Christmas day.

With shaky steeps, the shaken man approached the meeting spot where he would have to confront these feeling of remorse, regret, and worse of all, her. Approaching the spot he heard voices ahead of him.

"Heya!"

"Y-you!"

"Naruto…do you knew him?"

"This freak attacked me when I was with Shikamaru!"

His new team...

Hesitantly he steeped forward and cleared his throat, refusing to look away from the two boys and at the single female member of the team. His gaze was hard, but inside he was quivering with fear. He hoped it didn't leak into his eyes. "Umm from now on, team Kakashi will, I will be acting in place of Kakashi san as captain."

"Sorry about before. I wanted to see the new abilities of my new teammate. After all I need to know exactly how much I'll have to help out the looser," Sai commented with that fake smile of his.

"What'd you say?!"

"Hold on Naruto! He's going to be out new teammate, you can't just attack him suddenly. Although you, you're not being all the friendly…"Sakura commented holding Naruto back from attacking the artistic nin.

Yamato noticed how much her voice had matured.

"Ahhh. Is that so? I like your type. Friendly butt ugly girls," Sai laughed, making the leader of their team frown.

Yamato noticed the failure gleam in her eyes and acted before he knew what he was doing. "What'd you say asshole?"

"Hey did you forget what you just said to Naruto?" Yamato cried slipping his arms under her own and held her back from really doing some damage. He was so caught up in the moment he almost forgot to notice that he was holding her.

Almost.

_'Whoa, she most definitely grew.'_

_-_

After introductions were over and they were a good way a ways more fights began to break out. He had threatened to lock the up in a wooden cage if the didn't behave and they seemed to shape up. So as a reward, he took them to an inn with a hot spring out back. It was night and he was walking outside, alone. Nothing but him and the air around him.

"Yamato?"

Or at least that was what he thought until he spotted a pink haired medic sitting on a bench a few feet away, looking at him closely.

"S-Sakura? What are you doing out here so late at night? I-It could be dangerous, you should be back inside the inn," he stuttered, not wanting to have the conversation he knew was coming.

Sakura looked at him with half lidded eyes, turning to look away for only a moment before her eyes gravitated back towards him. "We'll? Aren't you going to sit down?"

Yamato looked up at her and noticed she was pointing to the empty seat next to her. Not wanting to deny her, he complied and sat down next to her. He felt the awkward atmosphere as around him, hanging in a thick fog that threatened to choke him up. Sakura, however, looked unaffected in least. It became more than he could take.

"Sakura, I-"

"Don't."

He sucked back a sharp gasp at the pain in his heart. He didn't think it would hurt this much.

"Please…don't say anything. You don't need to….Yammy chan."

"Sakura?"

The addressed girl looked up and smiled. "I'm a ninja now, just like you. I know what it's like to be called on missions. Don't worry, I forgive you."

"Y-you remembered?"

Sakura smiled ad leaned her head down on his chest resting her hand on his shoulder. "Hai, Yammy chan, I remember."

There a was a huge wave of relief as the dark eyed man felt a huge weight lift off his chest. This was better than anything he would have expected. She not only remembered him, but she also forgave him. Two things he dared not to hope for, despite his prayers. Forgiveness and remembrance.

"Did you really think I would not remember my Christmas wish? Do you remember? I wanted to be with you."

"Ah I remember, I don't think I could forget that Christmas even if I tried. My wish was the same every year after," Yamato replied stroking her hair, ever so gently.

"And what was your wish? You never told me before you left," Sakura asked, nuzzling her head against his rising and falling chest. She was enjoying how familiar this felt, this smelled, this sounded.

His chest rumbled against her ear when he began to speak and she like what she had to say. "…I wished for you…for you to be mine…"

"You mean…?" Sakura's voice was cut off by the pair of demanding lips that crashed down on top of her own.

"Mine, mine and all mine, forever and ever…just mine…all mine."

Despite his hushed murmurings, she smile, returning the gesture of affection.

"Merry Christmas Yammy chan…"

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Short, I know. I said I wasn't going to update till Christmas, but I wanted to get this done and out of the way. Hope you enjoyed it!

Please review! I would really love it if you would.

Ja n, all you lovely people.


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